Testing and Quality Assurance

Assignment Overview
A system is tested in several stages for test results to be manageable. Testing is done in blocks to facilitate developers and users’ review. This task is referred as system configuration management, which is a collection of system programs and modules delivered to the reviewers for results and feedback. Configuration management is a general technique to coordinate the testing process among developers and testers. During configuration management, it is important to control the system results and identify the differences between testing and design in order to monitor risk and minimize error. Techniques such as the Cleanroom testing stress precise planning and coordination within the team. Cleanroom can be expanded into running metrics and statistical calculations to measure testing accuracy and deviations. Acceptance testing involves many activities that require users and developers to collaborate to schedule testing cycles, find errors, and sign off on test results. Additionally, there must be a quick turnaround between finding errors, determining the causes, and correcting them to allow testing to proceed within schedules.
Delivering a system requires more than migrating the system into production. SE goes through one more step of product evaluation before implementation. This is done based on the test results and process evaluations through the CMM, ISO, and other quality models. Also, prior to deployment, change management activities must be conducted to introduce the new system to the user community and operators. Full training and documentation must be disseminated to acquaint everyone with system functionality and capabilities. Ultimately, a post-mortem analysis is done to ensure quality and software reusability.
After the system is implemented, the project team reconvenes to perform maintenance as needed. This phase also requires similar skills to the ones used in software development. The maintenance team continually interacts with software engineers, developers, and users to determine post-implementation issues and unanticipated system faults.
Required Readings
For Module 4, read Conger’s Chapter 17.
Conger, S. (2008). The New Software Engineer. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company [Global Text]. Retrieved from http://dl(dot)dropbox(dot)com/u/31779972/The%20New%20Software%20Engineering.pdf
Sommerville, I. (2011). Software Engineering. 9th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Adison-Wesley. [Chapter 8: Software Testing PPT]
Sommerville, I. (2011). Software Engineering. 9th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Adison-Wesley. [Chapter 24: Quality Management PPT]
After reading the course materials, please write a 3- to 4-page paper answering the following.
Suppose that a post-mortem analysis reveals that a particular developer is responsible for the major system problems in production. What kind of improvement activities would you recommend to ensure that these problems do not happen in future projects?
Length: Minimum 3-4 pages excluding cover page and references (since a page is about 300 words, this is approximately 900 - 1,200 words).
Assignment-driven criteria (25 points): Demonstrates clear understanding of the subject and addresses all key elements of the assignment.
Critical thinking (10 points): Demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem. Shows analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of required material.
Scholarly writing (5 points): Demonstrates writing proficiency at the academic level of the course; addresses the Learning Outcomes of the assignment.
Quality of references (4 points) and assignment organization (3 points): Uses relevant and credible sources to support assertions. Assignment is well organized and follows the structure of a well-written paper.
Citing sources (3 points): Uses in-text citations and properly formats references in APA style.